I have always been a lover of books and reading an actual book, but when I left work to go travelling one gift was my kindle reader. I would never have bought one myself but now I could not live without one.
As I write this my amazon kindle e reader that I received 6 years ago has stopped working (it fell off my bed and onto the tile floor!!) and so I need to decide which Kindle should I get next.
As I am researching and looking into what new kindle I need to buy, what is the best kindle for reading, i will hopefully be able to answer all my own questions and your questions too, about which is the best one to buy from the kindle comparison below.
You might have different needs to me, maybe you are not on the road as much, or you need a light to read while in a dorm room. Hopefully by the end of the article we can both have decided which is the one best suited to us and which is the best kindle to buy.
Click here to see the best kindle 2021 in the USA.
Click here to see the best kindle to buy UK.
I have put together this guide to show you the differences between the kindles so that you decide what is important to you when picking one of the kindles and help you find the best kindle for you for when you buy kindles.
If you have an Amazon Prime subscription you can read for free thousands of book, audios, or if you do not want a prime subscription you can just sign up to Kindle Unlimited get the first month free and then pay the monthly charge. Kindle Unlimited gives you access to over 1,000,000 books, audios, magazines.
Amazon Kindle Comparison Chart 2021 for choosing which Kindle to buy 2021
Contents
Here is a Amazon Kindle comparison table which will help you when choosing a kindle to buy. You can easily see the comparison of kindle models, the different products and when you know which is important this Amazon Kindle versions comparison chart will help you compare kindles to make your decision of which Kindle to get easier. I hope that this Kindle buying guide will be of use to you.
| Name | Image | Kindle Screen Size | Front Light | Kindle Weight | Kindle Battery Life | Rating (/5) | Kindle Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle E-Reader |   | 6" Glarefree | 4 LEDs | 174g | Weeks | 4.5 | Check Price |
| Kindle Kids Edition |   | 6" Glarefree | 4 LEDs | 174g | Weeks | 4.5 | Check Price |
| Kindle Paperwhite |   | 6" Glarefree | 5 LEDs | 182-191g | Weeks | 4.6 | Check Price |
| Kindle Oasis E-reader |   | 7" Glarefree | 25 LEDs | 188g | Weeks | 4.4 | Check Price |
| Kindle Fire 8 HD |   | 8" HD | HD Screen | 355g | 12 hours | 4.5 | Check Price |
I hope that this Kindle comparisons chart has helped you make the decision on which kindle to buy.
Guide to Buying the Best Kindle
What is a kindle
A kindle is a small hand held device for reading kindle books or other books downloaded onto the kindle. All of the kindles except the kindle fire are designed solely for reading, rather than accessing the internet. You can also download the kindle app for your mobile and it will sync with your kindle if you happen to read via the amazon kindle app instead.
Benefits of a Kindle
The benefits of a kindle for someone travelling is that you can carry with you thousands of books without the weight of an actual book. It is easy to buy new books depending on the version you have as with some you can connect to the kindle 4g and download straight away, without the need for wifi. Some of the older/basic models you need to connect to wifi.
Where to buy a kindle
The kindle ebook reader is an amazon product and so the easiest place to buy the kindle is from Amazon.
How much is a kindle
Generally the Amazon Kindle Reader & Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet are around the same price, with the Paperwhite more expensive and the Oasis the most expensive. This can depend though if there are offers and prices can change regularly.
Kindle Sizes Comparison 2021
Generally the kindles are around the same size with just the Kindle Fire bigger than the others. Kindle size comparison chart below:
- Kindle – 6.3″ x 4.5″ x 0.34″
- Kindle Paperwhite – 6.6″ x 4.6″ x 0.32″
- Kindle Oasis – 6.3″ x 5.6″ x 0.3″
- Kindle Fire – 8.4″ x 5.0″ x 0.4″
What Kindle should I buy
Each of the different types of Kindles have different benefits and obviously the more you pay the more sophisticated you get. For example the kindle vs kindle fire, these are 2 completely different products, with the kindle being an ereader and the Fire is more of a tablet which you can read books on.
Kindle Books
You can buy amazon kindle books in the amazon store, there is a huge kindle library of books. The prices of the kindle ebooks are reasonable and there is also a big choice of free kindle books. They have a list showing the top kindle books so you can see the most popular kindle books and you can also see the top free ebooks too. You can also choose to join kindle unlimited for a monthly subscription and have unlimited reading and listening on any device. Click here to find out more information on Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Audible
Audible is a paid plan on Amazon where you can listen to their originals, audio books and podcasts. You can download and listen to these on your Kindle. Learn more about Kindle Audible here.
Amazon Kindle Review – Which Kindle should I buy
Read the reviews below to find the kindle models best suited to you. I will list all the pro’s and con’s of each so at the end you can decide what is the best kindle to buy. The kindle vs kindle paperwhite vs Kindle Oasis vs Kindle Fire Tablet.
Kindle – 10th generation
Specifications: Front Light, Screen Size 6 Inch, 167 ppi glare free screen, battery life: 4 weeks, Storage 4GB
Pro’s: Cheapest option, great for just reading books, frontlight, no glare.
Con’s: Only good for reading books, bluetooth headphones required.
The latest kindle is the 10th Generation and it’s certainly an upgrade on the previous generations. The biggest bonus for this Kindle is that it now has a front light, meaning that you can read in the dark. It is the first generation of kindle to have the light which for me now puts it at the best kindle to buy.
The original kindle has been redesigned and has a 167 pixels per inch glare free screen, it is now thinner and lighter than before making it easier and more comfortable to hold. There is no screen glare unlike tablets BUT it is designed solely for reading books.
It isn’t waterproof like the Paperwhite and Oasis and has less storage but for me this is not too much of a disadvantage.
It has storage of 4GB and is now available in either black or white. It is the lightest of all the kindles and can charge in 4 hours from a computer.
This kindle does support audio but does not have a headphone jack, you will need, Bluetooth headphones to be able to listen to any audio.
If you are just looking to read books, then this kindle is certainly the best value and with the new feature of the front light, this now certainly makes it the best value kindle on the market.
Click here to check the price and read the latest Kindle review 2021 in the USA.
Click here to check the price and read the latest reviews in the UK
Kindle Kids Edition
Specifications: Front Light, Screen Size 6 Inch, 167 ppi glare free screen, battery life: 4 weeks, Storage 4GB
Pro’s: Cheapest option, great for just reading books – no games, no ads, no distractions for kids, frontlight, no glare.
Con’s: Only good for reading books, it is not a tablet, bluetooth headphones required.
The Amazon Kindle Kids Edition is actually the regular Kindle 10th Generation but with a kid-friendly cover (the standard kindle does not come with a protective cover), 1 year of Amazon Kids and a 2 year worry free guarantee, so if the kindle is broken then it will be replaced.
This Kindle is not a toy and is not designed to be thrown about by children, but is meant to help children who love reading as there are no games, ads or videos on the kindle.
The 1 year Amazon Kids (previously known as freetime unlimited) subscription means that kids can choose popular books and parents can control what age books are chosen within the Parent Dashboard and monitor your childs reading progress. Books included include Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl.
This is a great option if you want to encourage your kids to read without the distractions a tablet would have, though parents have said that the 1 year subscription and parent dashboard can be hard to setup.
Click here to check the price and read the latest Kindle kids review 2021.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Specifications: 6 Inch 300 ppi glare free Screen, waterproof up to 2 metres, storage 8gb or 32gb, 28 hours battery life.
Pro’s: Waterproof, great storage options, 28 hours battery life
Con’s: Bluetooth headphones needed for audio, heavier and bigger than kindle
The latest kindle paperwhite is the thinnest and lightest Kindle Paperwhite yet but is still heavier than the Kindle.
It is waterproof so you can relax on the beach, in the bath, by the pool without worrying about damaging it. Supposedly it can last 60 minutes underwater in less than 2 metres, though I certainly do not want to test this feature!!!
It has 2 options of storage, either kindle 8gb or 32gb so you can store more books, audiobooks and magazines. It is bigger than the kindle and slightly bigger than the Kindle Oasis but it does weight less than the Oasis.
It has audio though you will need to have bluetooth headphones or speakers to listen to it.
The kindle paperwhite 2021 battery life is around 28 hours, but this depends on whether you are using the backlight for reading, if you are then the battery will not last as long, also if you are connected to the internet downloading books then this will drain the battery quicker too.
The big advantage between this and the standard kindle was that this is a kindle with light, meaning that you can read in the dark with it, but the new basic kindle now has a frontlight meaning that these 2 are very similar now and really the only difference will be the basic kindle does not have the same glare problem or is waterproof.
The Kindle Paperwhite does have the best rating out of all the kindles and the best reviews, though people do say the screen is not glare free and it is like reading glossy paper, meaning that if you are near a window or lights you might have to adjust the angle you are reading at, to see the screen properly.
This one has great reviews, though some have struggled in different light conditions with the screen.
Click here to check the price and read the latest Kindle Paperwhite reviews 2021.
Amazon Kindle Oasis – 10th Generation
Specifications: 7 inch 300 ppi glare free screen, battery life 15 hours, weight 194g, storage 8gb or 32gb.
Pro’s: Waterproof, larger screen for easier reading, available in different colours
Con’s: Most expensive of the kindles, bluetooth headphones required
Before researching for a new Kindle, I had not heard of the Kindle Oasis, it has a 7″ screen, rather than a 6″ like the kindle and Paperwhite but has the same resolution screen as the paperwhite and is waterproof like it too. It was designed to replace the Kindle Voyage that first came out in 2014.
It has many of the same features as the new paperwhite, the Kindle Oasis 2021 battery life is around 15 hours but this depends on how much you use the backlight and are connected to the internet downloading books. It charges slightly faster than the other kindles, it has audio though you do need to connect with bluetooth.
It is the heaviest of the 3 kindle options though it is lighter than the kindle fire which is now marketed as a tablet rather than a kindle tablet.
It has storage options of 8GB or 32GB and is slightly bigger than the kindle and paperwhite, it comes in 2 different colours, Graphite and Champagne Gold.
It is marketed as the first waterproof kindle but the new paperwhite now has this feature so apart from being 1″ bigger and slightly heavier than the other kindles i am struggling to see why it is has such a bigger price tag than the others.
The reviews for it are all good, though it has a lower rating than the kindle paperwhite.
Personally I think that the paperwhite is better value for money, unless there is an amazon kindle sale or kindle offers.
Click here to check the price and latest reviews of the Kindle Oasis 2021.
Fire HD8 TABLET – 10th Generation
Specifications: 8 inch screen, battery life 12 hours, 363g
Pro’s: Not just an e-reader but a tablet as well, 16gb or 32gb storage
Con’s: Short battery life
The Kindle Fire is now just marketed as a Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet, as Amazon are now trying to get more into the tablet market as people associate Kindles as just reading devices.
It is available in 4 different colours, black, yellow, blue and red, though this may change depending on your country. It is a similar price to the kindle but has many different features.
I main question for me is, are you looking for something to just read books or are you wanting to be able to access the internet too. The main issue for me with the Fire is the battery life, it only lasts up to 12 hours. Whereas with the kindle for just reading a book lasts 6 times longer.
It has 16GB or 32GB of storage and you are also able to add an SD card for extra storage.
The fire has a headphones jack so you do not need bluetooth to listen, unlike the other kindles.
You can access the internet on it and watch movies and make video calls. It is very much like a smartphone but just a bigger size.
It has good reviews and is rated in between the kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis, the main issue people have is the battery life.
Click here to check the price and the latest reviews for the Best Kindle Fire 2021 USA.
Click here to check the price and the latest reviews for the UK
Decision
Have you decided which Kindle is best? Have you compared each kindle in the Kindle Comparison 2021 chart? I have decided for me that I am going to buy the original Kindle as now it comes with a front light. I hope you have found this guide useful in making your decision on which is the best kindle and let me know in the comments below which kindle you think is the best.
Check out my other buying guides:
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- Best Travel Hair Dryer with Diffuser 2021
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